When Hearts Meet
by SoulsSwords
Summary: Falling into disfavor with his village, Xiba is sent to be the servant of a wealthy man and his daughter. Josef and Wanda are petty and spoiled, berating both him and the three other women who live in their gilded cages with no education of any sorts. Bent on helping them, Xiba is takes the task of secretly teaching them... though his actions may lead to treachery... And tragedy.
1. Summer's Day

**Souls_&_Swords: Warning: Contains offensive language. A quick author's note, Josef is pronounced (Yo-sef).**

**当心灵相约**

**When Hearts Meet**

"Chai Xiba, son of Kilik, 16 years of age… is that who you are?"

A boy, shoeless and hapless stood before the maudlin monks, a scowl on his youthful face, he only glared with narrow brown eyes, "Does it matter what my name is? How old I am? Whose son am I? I'm in trouble no matter the answer."

"Don't give us that attitude!" The cold male voice interjected, "You should be ashamed of your actions… you know your father will be punished for this as well."

Xiba's red hair was messier than normal, a quiver on his lips, "What will you be doing to him?" the frightened boy remained as stoic as possible. The monk nodded.

"That does not matter, what we will do to you is banish you." Xiba didn't nod, bat an eyelash, or say a word, only stared bitterly, "You will be going deeper into the main land to live under a wealthy master…"

Xiba sneered, trying to reverse the punishment anyway he could, "You call _that _a punishment? I don't have to put up with the village's bullshit anymore."

"Heh… you will be the servant of the nobleman and his daughters… you will be doing their biddings for the rest of your life." Xiba's stoic, icy stare did not cease… but emotionless tears rolled out of his glassy copper eyes. Yet he did not stammer, did not twitch or break down… he only stared into his foe's eyes.

**山西省，明代， ****(****中国****) 1608 A.D.**

** Shaanxi, Ming Dynasty (China) 1608 A.D.**

The Ling-Sheng Su Temple amongst the Zhen Hang Mountains was a beautiful sight with beautiful pleasures; surrounded by nature and bathed by the sunlight high in the sky thanks to being at the top of one of the glorious mountain peaks. It was a temple of martial arts training as well as small villages where students or families lived in harmony. Many women made tea for a living, while men became monks who trained students studying martial arts. However, at some point every villager would end up participating in helping lug their goods onto horse-mechanized carts for the men travelling along the Silk Road. While it was a long journey throughout China to head into Europe, the men exporting the luggage got the opportunity to enjoy the scenery of China and its endless beauty.

As the horses trotted gleefully out the temple's gates and down the long spiraling path of the mountains to reach ground level, on one of said carriages, sitting in the back underneath the hot summer sun was a red-haired, barefoot young man who had heavy bags surrounding him and a hateful scowl on his face. Where Xiba was being sent was along the way to reach the Silk Road's route, and he'd practically been tossed onto the cart like he was part of the exportations. He was a short-arse, though strong and ripped adolescent. Xiba only stood at 5'5" though he had impressive strength because he too, was a martial arts student learning the Arts of the Rod… like his father. No one had offered him anything to eat, which was typical since he was now an 'outlaw'. With his arms childishly folded, he leaned back onto the tent of the cart and awaited this long ride to come to an end already.

Luckily the carriage that was carrying him along was in the back, so he didn't have to stare any of his foes in the face. If he tried hard enough, Xiba could probably fall asleep atop of the bulky bags around him. It was the only comfortable thing he'd be having for a while. He thought about closing his eyes and lying down to relax, but the leather wrappings of the goods were burning his skin as it was; his arms, chest, and abdomen were all, or partially exposed due to his black top; left open so that he didn't burn to death in the heat. It was late July. He tried his best to keep his feet off the scorching wooden cart he'd been forced to sit in, constantly shifting the position of his legs once he felt the flames reach his inner flesh. Even at night was it hot, and now worse, mosquitoes came to suck his sweat and blood. The constant rattling and shakes of his carriage ride kept him awake all night, not helping this bitter move.

Finally, the men came to a secluded area where the trees weren't as tightly compacted. It was a hot July morning when the traveler behind the horse pulled the reigns; the cart came to a rickety stop. It awakened Xiba, who'd just had a glorious 30 seconds of sleep. Shuddering awake, having his head suddenly collide with a warm package, he heard a gruff voice from behind him, "Alright! This is it! Hurry up and get off so I don't get left behind!" he demanded. Xiba grimaced and searched for his own bag amongst the other Silk Road goods. Finding the heavy bag that weighed more than himself, he hopped off the burning carriage at last feeling cool dirt underneath his soles. It was better than the burning seat he'd been stuck to for the past two days. His shirt hugged him due to the sweat that he hadn't gotten to wash. His spiky, short red hair was watered down as if he had a fever.

Growling lowly to himself, he put the straps around his arms, having to hunch over a bit to hold the pack up, "You off yet?!"

"Would it matter? You'd throw me in the nearest river for all you cared!" even a river sounded lovely right now… anything but what possibly lied ahead of him up the mountain trail. The horseman scoffed and alerted his steed to gallop off. Xiba hefted the weight of the bag and stood erect, waiting until the cart, after going over a few large rocks disappeared. So now it began… narrowing his tired brown eyes, he looked at the train and headed straight on. Panting to himself as the weight of the bag, the sun's heat, and his lack of sleep began to attack his body. If he'd trained for hours with a large, wooden rod, then this was nothing the 16 year old told himself. He'd even gone through training barefoot, so hiking up some dirt and grass was nothing. He only wore an anklet for footgear, not owning too many pairs of shoes in his life. His jaded pendant rattled as he took a few large steps over some logs. Soon enough the young man pressed his weight onto some hot, burning concrete and retracted immediately.

Upon looking up did Xiba realize he'd made it; a lavish _sanheyuan;_ courtyard house… only rich families or the Emperors owned them, like the Wang family or the Qiao family. It resembled the Forbidden City, but a bit more isolated and far less colorful… the only colors Xiba saw were the red lanterns hung along all the walls. All royal families decorated their homes with red lanterns. No one was at the front gates to meet him, only some birds landing on the edge of the gates and flying away. Dropping his bag that was causing his spine to collapse, he looked around, tightly grabbing at his shoulder; he'd definitely pulled something. Ouncing the courage to step onto the concrete again, Xiba approached the large, open gates. He didn't want to step inside just yet, for something wasn't right…

Where was everyone? If this man was so rich, then where were his five wives or his other loyal servants? Raising a brow, Xiba poked his head inside, greeted by silence.

"Looking for someone?" a young woman's voice startled him, he turned around to see an unsightly girl with pixie short hair, too much make up that did no help for that awful face of hers, dressed unnecessarily fancy for a hot summer morning, and a face that was clearly _not _Asian. She had a smile that was not welcoming or friendly; the smile that a thief had when he saw his money or a dragon had just before it devoured its prey.

Already not fond of the woman, Xiba nodded, "Depends… who are you?"

"Wanda Borkowski…" she analyzed the red-faced, drowsy young man. She laughed upon recognizing his origins… "And I supposed you're a kid who got tired of his mommy or daddy's rules?" he was already bemused; the last thing he needed was a smart-ass woman's remarks. Xiba refrained from punching her in the gut, whether he had the strength to or not. Glaring at her, annoyed, he heard a man's voice from behind them.

"Wanda, be polite!" A tall and superficially strapping man who was in his early forties lifted Xiba's heavy luggage, "Why don't you show our new servant around?" he was in no way Asian either; were they related? Wanda's inhumanly small eyes widened.

"_He's _our new servant?"

Xiba was then handed the large bag he'd just been relieved of and face to face with the non-native man. He smiled with his thin lips, "Chai Xiba, is it?" he grinned. The man backed away, causing Xiba to lose his grip on the bag and drop it at his feet.

"Yeah, Xiba…" he stated.

"Huh, you're much shorter than I imagined." The 6'2" man chuckled, wrapping an arm around Wanda's shoulder, "I'm Josef. I see you've met my daughter Wanda." Xiba's eyes dodged back and forth between the conceited old man and the repulsive young woman. He already disliked his 'lords'… "How old are you, Xiba?"

Already with the questions… probably to see what kind of work he'd be suitable for, "Sixteen." He answered flatly. Wanda snickered and mumbled something under her breath. Josef approved.

"Ah, it's good that you're young and as healthy as you are," he complimented, "You're probably a fast mover and hard working." Normally Xiba would accept the compliment humbly, but this wasn't a compliment… it was an observation.

"Mm…" he grunted.

"Well, Wanda will show you to the baths so you can wash yourself up." Josef began to walk away, looking down at the poor young man's bare feet, "And bring him some shoes while you're at it!" he ordered his daughter. Where was he off to?

"Follow me, chink."

Xiba was bewildered, what the hell did she just call him? Turning around and watching her walk off, he angrily lifted his bag, tempted to hurl it at her head. But as his fuse was about to combust, he saw a curtain in front of one of the compound doors buckle and waver… had the wind blown it? No, those black curtains were too thick and heavy for that. They hung in front of shut doors in respect of whoever was living in their little house. Someone had been spying on him. Now he knew what to expect; _no _respect.

Following to being shown where the private bath was and where his new home would be, the remaining vacant house in the compound that was more of a _room_ with a few fancy murals and a large, comfortable bed, comfortable to someone who'd just been forced to practically sunbathe for the past two days. He scrubbed himself free of sweat and dirt; he especially soaked his face with the cold water. The dehydrated teenager was close to drinking it even. He sat next to the large barrel of water, pressing a damp towel against his bare body. He prayed no one was spying on him then, for even someone who was bound to receive no respect in the household, there had to be limits… after drying he then put on his new clothes.

"Put these on when you're done." Wanda had told him, shoving a crimson and gold short-sleeved jacket folded neatly into his hands. She then left a belted pair of pants and brown boots along the stoop of the bathhouse. Xiba didn't even want to guess how expensive the silk was to make the jacket, patterned inside and out, smooth to the touch and it fit him like a glove as he hooked the small buttons together. The jacket was long and torn at the bottom, the pants were long and his boots, however, were too big. He tucked his pants into them, making them more snug. He felt too regal for his own liking… at least he still had on Kilik, his father's necklace. He had been given two bracelets; "Father says it's crucial we all wear jewelry." Xiba didn't bother questioning it; for nothing there would make sense to him.

The refreshed young man stood with Wanda out in the hot sun again, she led him around compound, "Alright, lucky for you I guess, you're not the only chink around here." She slurred, tearing at Xiba's temper, "I have three adopted sisters; two of them are chinks and the other I think came from Japan… it's all the same." She sneered. Xiba raised a brow, how ignorant was this woman?

"Let's start with the oldest, she's seventeen." They approached a house with a name carved into the stone next to the door,

**素**

**Natsu**

The name certainly sounded more Japanese than Chinese; Wanda threw the curtains to the side and pushed open the large doors, "Natsu!" She yelled out, startling a young woman who quickly covered herself with her blankets.

"Wanda! I was changing!" a tawny-haired, olive-skinned young adult blushed, standing only in an undershirt and panties. Her hair was short with parted bangs in the middle. Like a short bob cut.

"I told you we had company, you should've hurried up!" Xiba could literally growl at this woman's sense of arrogance; her prided dominance that was undeserved. He eyed the girl carefully, her eyes were like emeralds as she hid her face and body.

"Hi…" she muttered shyly as her cheeks became rosy, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Xiba's going to be your new servant." She chuckled almost sinisterly, "He's practically your age too!" For someone he'd be serving, as well as her 'sister', she seemed to be awfully mistreated.

"Where are you from, Xiba?" Natsu stuttered; "Are you from this province?" he nodded.

"Yup, right here in Shaanxi." The young man responded. Natsu had never seen another Asian man before, especially one her age. Josef always went out whenever he was making payments or handling work issues. She was far too young when she had been adopted by him to remember her other peers. Natsu smiled slightly, which Wanda wasn't enjoying; she pushed Xiba out of the room without another word. She brought him across to the other occupied household.

"This next one's from here too, she's exactly your age, I'm sure." They came to a closed door with another stoned carving next to it,

**乐安**

**Lea**

Wanda tossed aside the heavy curtains again, leaving the red-haired servant outside as she pushed the large doors open, "Lea." She called out, "Lea!" she shouted coldly, "Lea!" the non-Asian woman had lost patience and stomped inside. Xiba could hear muffled female voices arguing; not even, more so one was yelling and the other was trying to speak. Unable to comprehend anything that was just said, Xiba went to step inside, only for the hideous Wanda to charge out, nearly tearing the curtains as she slid them closed, "She's 'sick'." She claimed, going by Lea's words.

"Alright, here's the youngest of us, she's fifteen." They walked down and down the long paths of the compound, "She's from Luoyang, not too far away." Before they even reached the house at the end, Xiba's ears were pierced by Wanda's sudden shriek, "LEIXIA!" the curtains and the door were wide open.

"Yeah?" a light, childish voice answered from within the room.

"The new servant is here." In a matter of moments, the 15 year old girl with wide brown eyes, a pink, plump smile and wearing a long chiangpao dress greeted them. She had the same short bob cut as Natsu for some reason… Xiba didn't respond to her happiness, for it was almost disturbing to him. Her dress was red with a gold repeated pattern that almost looked like a lantern.

"It's nice to finally meet you!" she even spoke like some sort of cheerleader. Xiba was suspicious to her attitude, but this was all good ole Leixia. She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside; it was quite a contrast to how he was feeling, "Here! Sit down!" they sat at the small table across from her bed, two chairs on each side for whenever her sisters came to give her company. She blushed deeply, "Huhu… Wanda said you were young, but she didn't mention that you were so handsome!" Xiba snorted.

"Heh…" he tried to reply, caught off guard by her attitude, now her compliments.

"Hwa…" she gushed, "You're really _really _handsome! Don't be surprised if you end up eating dinner with me a lot!" she then giggled sprightly, adding a smile to the young man's face.

"I'll keep that in mind." He scratched at his messy hair, now dry from his bath.

"You're name's Xiba, right?" he nodded, "I'm Yan Leixia! I'm from the province right next door!" Wanda rolled her eyes at her bubbly persona.

"So, you're the youngest in the house?" he tried to respond to the girl's energy, which was near impossible. Suddenly quieting down a bit, she shamefully nodded.

"Heh, yeah… I'm pretty useless right now."

Useless? What did she mean by that? Xiba narrowed his eyes in confusion, but Wanda had heard enough of the young lady's voice that day, "Alright, it's time to get him settled!" she yelled. Leixia perked up again.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Xiba!" she even bowed her head… this was something interesting. He just didn't understand her enthusiasm.

"Oh um, yup."

Once his things were unpacked and the full moon hit the summer skies, Xiba fell back onto his bed; the first cozy, soft cushioning he'd felt in a while as he lied shirtless staring at the ceiling. He didn't even bother with the sheets; it was too hot for that. He needed his rest, for tomorrow his life as a slave began… he rolled over onto his side, he then felt his father's pendant slide off his shoulder and hang lose off his neck. Fuck, not this! Xiba felt himself welting up. He'd held this inside for too long, but he rejected the tears. For he needed to save them… he was sure there would be plenty of other opportunities to sob…


	2. Women

A loud, melodic voice cracked through Xiba's dreams.

_Wǒ xiǎng chéngwéi yīgè zhèn fǎ,_

It had sounded like his mother for a moment, who he barely remembered… but that noise that had just interrupted his sleep, was it singing?

_Kànzhe wǒ de nánrén._

The ripped young man sat upright, aggravated and drowsy, his head felt cloudy, eyelids unusually heavy. How much sleep had he even gotten?

_Qii~ááá~áán_

"Who the hell sings so early in the morning?" The teenager rubbed his brown eyes as the feminine, yet powerful voice made Xiba's head pound. It sounded as if the compound was built below the Peking Opera House… there had been a short pause. He hoped for a moment that after that long, exhausting note, the girl was finished…

…

_Wǒ kěwàng fāsòng xiāoxi_

"Urgh…" throwing on the overpriced silk shirt, Xiba left his room with a growl. The sun wasn't even up yet, though the sky had enough light for the young man to look left and right. The distant words were coming from above… He saw steps that led up to the flat rooftops of the compound and quickly fled upward. The compound house wasn't so high up, but it was high enough for the five feet, five inch young man to feel high and mighty atop of Shaanxi… endless mountains and beyond that, more mountains… but that world was no longer his to explorer.

_Dàn tā tài nánshòu xiě… Zài yōuyǎ de sǎnwén_

Xiba was now curious as to who this power house singer actually was. Stopping for a moment, he waited for another verse, he was getting closer. Finally reaching a section just above where the third room was, he saw the childish young woman leaning over into a well, the echoes helped her critique her high notes. Tiny and petite fifteen-year-old Leixia had been causing that racket? Dumbfounded, Xiba held in his scolding and watched with awe. She didn't notice, she had her eyes gently closed to focus on her hearing. She wore her long red and gold chiangpao dress despite the summer weather; though it was cool at the moment.

_Jíshǐ àiqíng dài lái yīxiē wēnnuǎn… _the breeze gusted through her short hair, _Wǒ pà tā wúqíng de yìzhì shàn lěng guǐ. _Her voice though loud and startling at first, was like a finely tuned instrument of a soprano's voice; she truly held out her notes far longer than her lung's capacity could take. Xiba would never have guessed this was _her _song.

Standing upright to push her hair behind her ear, Leixia, just out the corner of her eye, saw her new servant and gasped. Xiba didn't say a word, he kept silent and waited for her to go back to singing giddily. But the young woman covered her mouth and blushed, not aware that she was being watched. How could she have forgotten about the attractive new servant that had just arrived the day before? Awkward, and for some reason embarrassed, Xiba cleared his throat.

"You um…" he felt bad about wanting to shut her up earlier, assuming it had been Wanda, "You sing nicely." He said flatly. Leixia loosened her posture and rolled down her long sleeves.

"Thanks… did I wake you up?"

_Yes, and I wanted to strangle you for it, _"No. I just happened to hear you and, well…" he scratched his spiky red hair, "Yeah, hehe." They both chuckled from mutual awkwardness. Leixia was bubbly once more with a gentle smile.

"Even though I don't remember her, my mother was a famous Opera singer." She must've inherited her lungs and her vocal chords, "She was always the main attraction from what Master Josef told me of her." _Master_ Josef? "One day, when I'm old enough to leave the compound, I want to be a performer just like her." The young lady gazed back out into the far distance. Xiba raised a brow; what did she mean by when she was old enough? Wasn't everyone living there 'old enough' to wander China freely?

"HEY YOU CHINKS !" A less graceful voice screeched from down below, Wanda in her overblown outfit called up to them; already a face full of makeup, "NEW GUY! GET DOWN HERE! IT'S TIME TO GO TO WORK!" Leixia giggled, almost oblivious to the woman's insult.

"Looks like Madam Wanda wants you," Master and Madam? What the hell was this? He opened his mouth to ask her but Leixia had turned around, "I hope I'll see you at lunch!" Xiba just didn't understand how this wealthy family system worked, especially with three adopted girls and two, dreadfully European looking heads of the place. Slumping down the stone steps, unenthusiastic did he approach her.

"Where are your shoes?" he'd left the room barefoot, something that the young man was just so used to.

"Should I go get them or do you want to dictate me first?" he folded his arms, testing the woman's patience.

"Watch your mouth, chink! Don't forget, I'm the master's daughter here, which means you obey _me _as well!" Obey… Xiba was a slave now he remembered. But he wasn't ready to lose his self-respect just because he had to follow some rules… but disregarding the rules is what had him sent there in the first place. Wanda sneered, "Just for that," she pointed, "You're gonna start by washing the laundry…" she thought of a way to make the punishment more grueling, "Outside."

Pfft. He'd carried his own weight in the heat for hours, during his martial arts training. But making her demand seem like a piece of cake would only ignite her to find worse conditions for him to work in. Not daring to challenge her even more, Wanda nodded, "Then after that, you're gonna make our meals… I hope you know what's on the menu, because _we _have to eat it!"

Don't ask…

Don't ask…

"What the hell am I supposed to eat then?" Damn it! He'd only asked for more disrespect.

"Left over's, or if you want, cook your own damn meals, if you _can_." She laughed. Xiba could cook decently, but the thought of literally _feeding _them made him disgusted. He made a note to spit in Wanda's dish later. After putting on the brown, stone patterned boots, Xiba did as told and hunched over in the hot sun, he soaked the regal, elegant clothing in a barrel of water, twisted them dry, pounded them against some stones, and repeated until they were clean enough. The sweat was killing him, as even his string around his stone-pendant was stuck to his neck.

The young man had an idea, but he worried… just when he arrived someone had been watching him from their home. But he was behind the compound rooms were, and therefore, someone would have to peak around the corner to look at him rather than peer through their door. Xiba had keen senses; if he sensed someone, he'd know to retract. Slowly undoing the buttons on the long, crimson jacket, he began to slide it off, sleeves going over the bracelets he'd been commanded to wear. What had even happened to his old clothes? He'd search for them later, for he had an unfortunate job to do at the moment. Xiba dazed out as he unconsciously did the clothing. He thought about his father, and what could be happening to him right now…

At least he was safe, though now an abused slave, Xiba was alive… but he wished it could be the other way around, for what they could be doing to his father could mean… He twisted the short kimono tightly, the sound bringing him out of his thoughts. Hopefully he could bathe before he had to cook a family of… he counted in his head, two masters, three girls, a five person meal… then maybe something secret for himself if he had the energy. Hunger was the least of his concerns.

Where the hell was Josef during all this? Wasn't _he _the wealthy nobleman who had this place built for himself?

_Cree… _

A loud noise startled him and he rushed to put his jacket back on, rolling the short sleeves hastily up his arms.

"Alright…" speak of the devil, the sixteen-year old heard his voice,

_Aaak… _the doors to one of the women's houses had just been pushed open, "That wasn't too bad…" Xiba's curiosity stole him away and he scooted his bottom closer to the wall, leaning back so he could see across the compound. He saw Josef stepping outside of… _someone's _home, but whom? "But make sure next time you improve on your skill." He was then headed for the main dining area when he saw the red-haired young man staring at him suspiciously. Startled, Xiba flinched and crawled back to the barrel and clothes.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

"Okay," Wanda pulled out multiple skillets and pans, "You use this to fry things, you gotta make sure you use just the right amount of oil!" Xiba was watching her hand him the tools, narrow-eyed and bemused, "And when it come to steaming, you just pour some water in and," she took one of the pot-lids and slammed it onto one of them, "You let the water boil out-"

"Look…" he murmured, "I know how to cook." He took a skillet by the handle, envisioning himself slamming her across the face like one would with a baseball bat. But it was true, Xiba had been cooking for years. But Wanda was hysterical.

"Ha! You think you can cook? Your family really must've babied you when you were growing up." Wanda turned around. Xiba's hand was clenched around the pan handle… bite your tongue and let it go…

Bite your tongue and let it go. Growling in his throat, Xiba turned and opened up the menu of what was 'of preference that day'… so apparently it was going to be a different task every day. So far it read,

_猪肉再整合也_

_Pork Steamed in Lotus Leaves_

Child's play.

_心脏仙人掌_

_Heart of Cactus_

Vegetables, easy enough.

帘子躺

_Lotus Seed Soup_

Okay…

_肌肉炒面_

_Chicken Chow Mein_

And now, he was starving. To cook all that food and probably not even get a taste of any of it… meanwhile, the girls had been called out and were sitting like dogs waiting for a treat at the table. One chair remained unseated.

"Did you have trouble reading the menu?" Wanda mocked, picking up her chopsticks as the young man came out with plates of steaming dishes later on that Noon. Josef glared at her.

"Wanda please, I'm sure Xiba did a wonderful job." Huh, he _had _to say things like that to keep him appeased. Natsu shyly looked at her plate, trying to keep her head low and away from making contact with anyone. Leixia quickly chewed down her piping hot food the moment she was given the plate. Wanda was the first to receive her meal (luckily not poisoned) and still hadn't taken a bite.

"Mm!" Leixia exclaimed with her mouth full, "This is so good!" Xiba didn't react; it was expected of the ditzy teenager. Wanda was stunned.

"Are you kidding me?" she picked up some noodles with a piece of chicken and slurped it up. Not wanting to admit his success, she blushed. Wanda bitterly looked at his copper eyes, he smirked ever so proud of himself, waiting for the bitch's praise.

"Well then," Josef halted her from making any interjections, "There's just one more person we need to wait for…"

"Lea!" Leixia perked up, Xiba turned his head. Entering the dining room was a young woman with olive-skin, glossy dark brown hair, and a face of stunning, oriental beauty. Her hair was different from the other girls… it was not short. Pulled back into a bun of sorts with some elaborate braiding in it, Lea was the most alluring young woman he'd ever seen. She had some long bangs that were parted in the middle that framed her sapphire eyes.

"Ah," Josef delighted, "You two haven't met yet. Lea, this is Xiba, he's our new servant. You're both the same age." The girl scanned him up and down with her eyes, not responding. Her face had neutral toned make-up, bringing out her gorgeous features rather than exaggerating them like Wanda's makeup. She was wearing full leggings with elegant black slippers and a short, black Chinese dress with a dragon pattern on the back. Xiba wasn't sure whether Lea was welcoming or not… but he grinned and nodded, before mustering a neutral expression once again. Gold earrings hung loose from her lobes and she sported a pearled bracelet. All the girls were so spruced up for no particular reason… just because their master said so. Even Xiba, who was a slave no less had to look as regal as possible.

Xiba stared from behind Lea as she had her hands folded, not touching her plate while the others dined… oh god, what if she was just as spoiled as Wanda? Or maybe she just wasn't hungry? Hell, she could've been saying a prayer from what it appeared… a prayer that the food would stop Wanda (and maybe Josef's) hearts… at least that's what the ripped young man thought. Leixia swallowed and spoke to her older 'sister', "Lea, isn't he handsome?" she didn't respond, only blinking her sorrowful eyes, part of Xiba wanted to know what she thought, the other just wanted to be alone in his room, and worry about Kilik, "I think he's the handsomest!" the little girl just loved to talk. It was endearing yet sickening all at once. As he blushed Lea picked up her chopsticks and slowly consumed the food in front of her.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Xiba watched as the three girls lit red lanterns just before Josef and Wanda raised them back up. They gave off purplish glows against the stone walls as the nightfall light bounced off against the orange hues. The young man watched from his compound, it was to keep light within the compound as it got later in the evening. The sky was now black with a tint of red at the horizon. Not the deep, lush red, an orange-red, where the sun's last peak over the horizon could be seen. The young man remembered watching the clouds change during the sunset with his father… the mountains were a perfect place for such activities. It was in fact this time of day when he'd received the news about Kilik… the day that would change the sixteen-year-old's life.

He looked at the three young ladies and their attitudes; Natsu seemed shy and withdrawn, Leixia was bubbly and irritatingly cheerful, and Lea just seemed to ignore everyone around her. Baffled as to how they became such conflicting 'sisters', he felt that as one of the only four Asians there that he should stand by them… especially with Wanda's treatment. Josef didn't seem like much of a threat; it was all his daughter's instigations. Josef saw Xiba watching them from behind the curtain of his door and approached him. He scared the young man as a European face appeared from behind the dark curtains.

"Xiba… step inside with me, would you?"

Without another exchange of words, he allowed the master into his room. Lea halted on lifting the other red lantern on a string, glancing at the young man's gilded cage. Xiba sat on his bed while Josef pulled out a chair and sat across from him. They stared into each other's souls… both looking right through each other… now was time for the man's true colors to be revealed.

"How did you get here, Xiba?" he'd requested the need of a servant, since their last one had died out, but they hadn't expected a brawny young man to arrive.

"I was sent away from my home." He caught the man staring at his pendant… It was not jaded or beaded… just pure stone trinkets around the string. He grabbed at it, making it rattle and stirring Josef back to reality. Xiba didn't like this man looking at his prized possession.

"So you were sent here as punishment?"

…

He waited for a response, but that was none of this man's business. The adolescent glared hatefully. He was testing his limits! Already understanding the rules of this boy's game, Josef stood up, "Xiba." He spoke aggressively, reminding the dog who was in charge, "Stand up." He didn't want to make a fool of himself, and give away the only pride he had left, but alas, Xiba planted his feet on the floor and rose. Now came the torture, Josef held out his hand, "Give me the necklace." There was a moment of intense silence, letting the hatred synchronize between the master and the slave. The copper-eyed boy stared enraged, unafraid.

"Hand it over or I'll snatch it off!" He had to break the boy in order to keep his stance as the alpha. It was obvious something so plain looking was of sentimental value, or in Josef's eyes, junk. Someone special must've given it to him. Same had gone with the anklet Xiba was wearing when he arrived. Xiba wasn't handing over his father's pendant… he _dared _the old man to take it away from him.

What was this kid?!

"What did I say…?" Breaking the other girls had been so much easier… Xiba's eyes were gleaming, but he still exposed his anger, "**What did I say?!**" he shouted, causing him to flinch slightly. Xiba had revealed even slightly that he was afraid… but if he physically fought the man… god knows what they would do to him. But with his father far away, what did he have to lose? Josef stomped forward and ripped the string off of his neck, clenching the pendant in his hand. Xiba froze, he didn't try to fight for it… it would only show his weakness. This man was far worse than Wanda… while she slurred and swore, this man tortured.

"Worthless chink!" the older man had lost his temper, and with his father's prize in hand, he left the room, shutting the large doors behind him.

Darkness, everything was dark. Even if Xiba had a window to let the moonlight shine in… his world would still be pitch black. As if time was frozen, he sat back down on his bed and waited for it to hit him. He couldn't melt down, so the young man grabbed at his hair and cringed, letting the tears gently roll out of his eyes. So much anger pent up, but nothing he could do about it… he'd asked for this, and crying would only display the truth behind the young man; he was weak.

**Souls_&_Swords: Chinese (Mandarin) Glossary**

_Wǒ xiǎng chéngwéi yīgè zhèn fǎ – _I want to be a stone sentinel

_Kànzhe wǒ de nánrén.- _Watching for my man.

_Qián – _Before

_Wǒ kěwàng fāsòng xiāoxi – _I long to send a message.

_Dàn tā tài nánshòu xiě… Zài yōuyǎ de sǎnwén – _But it's much too hard to write in elegant prose.

_Jíshǐ àiqíng dài lái yīxiē wēnnuǎn – _Even though love brings some warmth.

_Wǒ pà tā wúqíng de yìzhì shàn lěng guǐ – _I fear his heartlessness will fan the cold gusts.

**Song credit goes to the Peking Opera (Huo Xiaoyu) Very amazing songs!**


	3. Second Day

The jailhouse in the Ling-Sheng Su Temple was a cold and dreary place; there were no windows, no natural light to be given to the prisoners… making their once fair complexion pasty and pale. Fires were lit in the lanterns that hung down the halls; that way the guards could keep an eye on the inmates. Relatives could visit only during daylight hours; once the sun had hit the horizon they would be escorted, or shoved, outside and told to leave. Two men, one young, the other aging sat back to back in between the celled room and the freedom of the hallways; looking at each other caused them too much pain. The young man longed to feel the warm skin of his father, but all he felt were the prison bars that separated them; he could only grasp his hand.

The older man in the prison cell sang his son's favorite childhood lullaby;

_Yuèliàng shì guāngmíng de, fēng shì ānjìng,_

_ Shù shàng de yèzi guà zài chuānghù shàng,_

The boy let quiet tears roll down his cheeks as he breathed heavily from his chest. He knew his time to visit would be up… as would the only time of day that made him happy anymore. His father on the other side, bound for a retched fate, made an effort to comfort his poor son.

_Wǒ de xiǎo jiāhuo, bì shàng yǎnjīng, shuì, shuì... _

_Mèngxiǎng tiánměi de mèngxiāng._

The young man had fallen asleep to that song from when he was an infant to at least when he was nine years of age. The man on the other side knew his son was still not at ease, so he began the song again, but with more passion.

_Yuèliàng shì guāngmíng de, fēng shì ānjìng,_

The son in a somber voice began to serenade each other with him.

_**Shù shàng de yèzi guà zài chuānghù shàng,**_

He sang so softly that his voice was inaudible compared to his father's.

_**Wǒ de xiǎo jiāhuo, bì shàng yǎnjīng, shuì, shuì... **_

Just earlier had the father handed his pendant to the boy through the cell bars… dropping it in his palm… it would be the last time he looked his son in the eyes.

_**Mèngxiǎng tiánměi de mèngxiāng~**_

"Mèngxiāng…" Xiba's lips noiselessly mouthed as he blinked his eyes open. Above him was a chandelier with unlit lanterns, looking quite dark since the only light that came in was the light from the crack underneath the door. Josef hadn't closed the curtains after shutting the door on his slave. His vision was a bit blurry; the adolescent wiped the sleep dust from the corners of his eyes and lazily went to grab the pendant around his neck… only to feel nothing but bare skin.

He'd then remembered what his 'master' had done the night before that may have encouraged the memory just now. Sitting upright he, one at a time, dropped his legs off the side of the bed and searched for the energy to stand up. He missed his father… he already knew that, but now Xiba's heart was aching unbearably. He prayed that Kilik was alright… he heard humming from outside. With hair unbrushed and no shirt or shoes on, he knew Wanda wouldn't let him alone seeing him outside like that; so Xiba peered his head out the door. Leixia was walking down the rows of the compound with a hemispherical woven basket with… envelopes inside… over a dozen of them. All with a traditional Chinese character on them. The oblivious girl hummed her tune and set the basket outside Josef's door.

…

Oh no… he wouldn't be going through that again… after all, his actions had caused his father enough issues. Xiba looked around, no one else except the youngest one was awake… maybe he could sneak in a few extra minutes of rest… or perhaps he could use this time to use the private bath area and wash up… whatever privacy he got, he took it. Choosing to go with the latter option, after cleaning his teeth, Xiba shut the doors behind him and stripped himself of his clothing. The fresh water in the barrel was warm, but it wouldn't last for long. Xiba soaked the towel in the barrel and scrubbed his skin clean… working hot hours in the sun would probably make it take longer for his body to dry; even training with a metal staff was less grueling than this… maybe because he was moving so quickly and rapidly as he trained that he caught just a few hints of wind here or there… and he'd lived on the mountains, not at the foot of them. Above elevation brought nice, cool breezes even in the midst of summer like right then.

The red-haired boy squeezed the towel, the loud trickling of the water droplets into the bucket made it nearly impossible to hear the commotion outside. But he'd heard a high-pitched screech from outside, it alerted him that the witch was awake and on a rampage; probably looking for him. She can wait a few damn minutes he thought as he wiped the towel up and down his back, nearly finished.

"You worthless bitch!"

_Crack!_

Xiba felt a chill down his spine from that sound. Startled, he scrubbed the second towel, a dry one, through his wild spiky hair and wrapped it around his torso, slowly nearing the door and listening, still on his knees, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You know we have rules in this household!" Gently sliding the door open a crack, Xiba saw Natsu on her hands and knees shaking… literally. A red spot on her cheek. Wanda stood over her with broiling anger, Lea stood worriedly across the grounds, but too afraid to say anything. The elegant young woman only watched with grief. What the hell had the blonde done? Xiba saw a few of the envelopes crumpled up in her hand. Wanda knelt over next to the Japanese woman.

"Stealing father's notes when you can't even read?" she stepped on her back with her heeled boot.

"Ack!" she yelped in pain. Xiba opened the door a bit wider, hiding his body from the waist down but getting a closer look. With hatred in his eyes, he was sure his nails were carving away the wood on the door.

"Why don't you tell me what you didn't want father to see, even though you're just a stupid chink!" Natsu had to relent somehow… she had to show she wasn't afraid. She turned her head, strands of her short hair out of her mouth.

"I'm _Japanese…_" she reminded; if Wanda was going to spit out slurs at her, she could at least get it right. Her green eyes flared with rage, but underneath them, was fear and guilt that she had been caught; she'd wanted to teach herself to read, but alas, that wouldn't be happening today. Wanda grabbed her by the hair and slammed the girl face down into the dirt.

"Natsu!" Lea rushed forward, but the elegant young woman halted when she saw Xiba looking bitterly at the cold-hearted woman. With dastardly thoughts on his mind, he growled at her. Wanda snatched the crumpled envelopes from the poor seventeen year old and stormed off. Lea's attention went back to her elder 'sister', helping her off the ground; her regal kimono was dirty and wrinkled. She dusted the sleeves, "Let me help you…" Lea, flustered, turned her focus on the young man again, who was staring off in Wanda's general direction… she could see the fire in his eyes… the two still hadn't spoken a word to each other since they'd met… but this man clearly understood his own emotions better than any of them did… she didn't know why; but Lea could _feel _it… Xiba was different.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

"Wanda, what was that ruckus I heard this morning?" the older European man asked at the lunch table later that day. Xiba had prepared some simple vegetable dishes for the five, taking small bites of five-colored-vegetables he'd made for himself in the kitchen. He sat down the plates in front of them as he walked around the table, silently eyeing Wanda with hate.

"Psh, if you must know," the repulsive young lady folded her hands, "Natsu here was trying to sneak away your mail this morning!" Natsu was seated next to Josef as usual, looking down with shame. Leixia was baffled, but the rest of the conversation was drowned out by her own chewing. Lea was the last to receive her dish, she saw the handsome servant above her and she blushed.

"Xièxiè…" she whispered, surprising Xiba. He had taken a step to exit the dining area but he froze. He looked at the pretty Lea as she picked up her chop sticks to consume the spinach and bean curd. She'd requested it on her own. He'd remembered Lea because she was the only girl there with long hair; still pulled back in an elegant bun. Stuttering for a moment, he nodded his head.

"You're welcome…"

"Hey you!" Wanda pounded her chopsticks twice on the table to grab his attention, "Quit fooling around and bring us some napkins!" Xiba glared at her.

"I see some right there in your lap…"

"And that's to keep crumbs off my clothing; bring some in case any of these chinks make a spill!" the three didn't react, they were used to it. But Xiba bit his lip to keep from hurdling one of the plates at her. Josef wiped his mouth with a soft cloth.

"Wanda, be patient…" and now _him…_ he was going to keep up his 'polite' and 'respectable' manner even though he'd shown his true self to him already. Xiba narrowed his brown eyes and sneered as he spoke, "You know people of his race take time…" as he straightened his posture, around his neck… a jaded pendant… his father's! Widening his eyes, Xiba pounced the man and attacked him for it… in his imagination. Xiba only stared with shock… he was teasing him that bastard! And people of 'his race'… now he knew where Wanda inherited her racism from! Josef saw Xiba's expression and grinned… grinned with sadism. Natsu's eyes rolled the opposite direction of the older man and frowned. She was aware Xiba had witnessed her plight earlier.

"Well, he knows I'm not getting any younger." She mumbled. Xiba picked up the used napkins by Leixia as he walked back around the table to head for the kitchen.

"Here," she talked with her mouthful, "I'll help-" she accidentally knocked her cup of cold, fiesta breeze tea over with her elbow. Xiba with quick reflexes grabbed it, only allowing some to spill on the floor, "Xiba! I'm sorry!" the girl gasped, Xiba gently pushed the glass cup back on the dining counter; Wanda rolled her eyes, Lea rested her chin on her hands, and Josef still retained a smirk on his face. The fifteen year old blushed like crazy from her clumsiness; some tea was in her lap. She pressed cloth that was meant for wiping her mouth against her dress as Xiba unfolded the used napkins and knelt down, "I'm so sorry-!"

"It's fine." He muttered, getting down onto his knees. As he wiped the spilt liquids, out of the corner of his eye, he caught something very… unsettling. He wasn't sure if what he was seeing was accurate, but Xiba saw what looked like Josef's hand rubbing against Natsu's thigh… As he went to stand back up he hit his head on the side of the table.

"Ugh!" he pressed his palm against it and stood up with the damp napkins. Rubbing the sore spot, he saw Natsu looking away from the master as he maintained his facial expression. Xiba looked at Wanda who was impatiently waiting for her napkins, Leixia who had gone back to eating, and Lea who stared at her food in a daze, saddened.

Nothing at this place was right… it seemed like things could only become worse.

**Souls_&_Swords: Chinese (Mandarin) Glossary**

_Yuèliàng shì guāngmíng de, fēng shì ānjìng, - _The moon is bright, and the wind is quiet,

_ Shù shàng de yèzi guà zài chuānghù shàng, - _The tree leaves hang over the window,

_Wǒ de xiǎo jiāhuo, bì shàng yǎnjīng, shuì, shuì... - _My little one, close your eyes, sleep, sleep...

_Mèngxiǎng tiánměi de mèngxiāng.- _Dreaming sweet dreams.

_Xièxiè - _Thank you.


	4. Virtue

The sun was now peaking over the nearest mountain in the west, showing that dusk was approaching. The brilliant beams of light busted valiantly through the clouds and created individual spots of light on the subtle cobblestone grounds, causing them to steam up like meat over a hot fire. Summer was now reaching the turning point; scorching hot weather would be approaching along with mixed patterns of unpredictable thunderstorms. The people of China longed for fall, for the striking vibrancies of orange and red to fill the trees along with fruits dangling from their branches. For the vivid red sun to cast its light and pour stains of deep orange across the sky and paint the sparkling lakes with its reflection.

But that was months away from now, and even when the celestial season arrived, the Asians of the compound house wouldn't receive the opportunity to walk about the lands to embrace the newly pure air. Xiba was at least thankful that he'd once had the chance to enjoy said serenity, he wasn't sure if the girls had _ever _left the compound. It had been weeks since he arrived and the young man still couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. The red-haired adolescent found himself in a rut; wake up at the crack of dawn, wash himself in the bath area if he had the chance, spend an entire day of chores, use his self-created techniques to ignore Wanda and Josef, _tolerate_ Leixia and her perky spirit if she passed by him, then _maybe _get two hours of sleep at the maximum—Xiba couldn't remember what a full eight hours of sleep felt like anymore, nor could he remember what it felt like to have a full stomach. He'd only snuck bites of food here or there if he was left alone to cook in the kitchen. Usually the family of five was in the dining area waiting for him, rushing him.

Xiba couldn't care less what any of them thought of him, not even Leixia's flattery. He numbed himself to keep his heart from being farther injured by Wanda's slurs and Josef's… irredeemable action. Still he paraded around his father's pendant to keep Xiba on a leash, it was the whip and Xiba was the sled-dog. His unholy sign of dominance. Xiba still kept training; at night when he couldn't sleep, the boy continued his sit-ups and pushups to maintain his ripped physique… Josef better know who he was messing with. This was not to impress anyone, not even the three ladies. The young man didn't even care what the girls talked about on their free time—if they talked about anything at all. Three young ladies all about the same age as he, and they never seemed to converse with one another. How could they not be fond of gossiping or fantasizing of the real world? Didn't they long to roam freely just as much as he did? One other thing that the sixteen-year-old had been doing often, if he found time, was thinking.

Xiba would lie in his bed and think about Kilik, whether he was alive or not, as well as what he'd done to put his father and his own life in jeopardy that period of time. Sometimes he'd stop in the middle of cleaning the dishes or the women's laundry and space out, wallowing in his regret and guilt. The young man would succumb to his own sadness and find himself welting up in tears. But he pushed his emotions aside and continued his job. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remain numb. That morning, the young man just couldn't take it and he leapt from his bed and rushed up to the roofs of the compound. Before Wanda had come to demand him orders.

"Hey chink!" Xiba watched from above, kneeling down behind the stoned walls, Wanda was looking to and fro after peeking inside his room, "Hiding are we? When I find you you're in for it this time!" the repulsive woman was then wandering about, clueless that he was capable of climbing stairs. He watched her with disgust. When the airheaded tyrant was out of sight, he stood erect and walked about, observing the compound. Even from high up did it appear dreary and lifeless… though to a visitor, it was regal and breath-taking. It was nothing compared to the beauty of the Zhen Hang Mountains Xiba grew up in, nor the village he was raised in. The young man, to save his own temper, had his boots on so Wanda didn't stir up his emotions for being barefoot yet again. He couldn't help but be so used to not needing shoes; most of the time he was training in his martial arts classes, which was required to be shoeless. Xiba bet his old monks would be shocked at seeing him not only with boots and long pants tucked into them, but an overpriced, crimson silk jacket with it.

The young man still didn't feel adjusted, and he knew instinctually that life was adapt or die. He went to find a shady spot, there was a small pavilion on the roof with windows, he assumed it was for outdoor dining in the sky or some shit like that. He sat down in a corner and rested, his body exhausted and falling apart.

"Father!" Wanda stormed into the main reading area, surprising Josef, "I can't find the working chink anywhere!"

"Well…" he leisurely turned the page of his novel, "He couldn't have run off, the gates are closed and locked."

"Who does that bastard think he is? So stubborn and hard-headed, acts as if he knows everything!" she childishly balled her hands, but there was no response from her old man… she then began to shake with anger—anger and worry, "What if he _does _know something-?"

"No!" Her father leapt to his feet and shut his book, "These people know nothing! They're all classless, useless disgraces of humans." Josef was exclaiming it violently—as if the thought had caused his nerves to shudder. The thought of a 'chink' knowing something…

"Well, I'll admit he's good at hiding… how do we reel him out?" her father snickered and pushed her bangs aside.

"Easy, we give him a noisy wake-up call." As if his daughter's voice wasn't enough… he walked past a befuddled Wanda and headed for the third room.

_Tàn wéi yīgè měilì de nǚrén_

The loud serenation, Xiba was at the Peking Opera house, but the seats were empty and the only performer on the stage was a phantom, a strange entity with a ghostly voice. The phantom wanted his soul.

_Xià yīgè dǎoméi de héngxīng dànshēng_

The vision of the oriental stage began to fade, the voice, though it remained haunting, became more human. Vision blurred, Xiba could feel his hand pressed into his cheek and his body was slouched to the side. He'd truly fallen asleep for a moment. But that dream; that voice he'd just heard? Was it—?

_Tāā~āāā~āā wánměi de àiqíng pǐpèi_

"Well done! Well done!" Cried a male voice; the only other male in the house. Xiba moaned, more from the fact his brain had to catch up to his body to wake up. Rubbing his eyes, he recognized Leixia's A-Capella singing… a chilling opera song; or at least it was meant to be solemn and chilling; her cheerful spirit sucked the meaning of the song away. Had Josef asked her to sing? Slowly getting onto his knees, rubbing his eyes some more, then onto his feet, Xiba listened some more.

_Dàà~àn yī~ī~ī hé xiàng dōng liú~ú~ú_

"You're excellent Leixia! Keep going!" Xiba couldn't see it, but he bet the young woman was blushing and was about to eager continue, getting louder by the moment. Her voice echoed upon the stone walls. The young man lazily wandered the roof, glancing at the third house bitterly as he did so.

_Yīgè wúqíng de qíngrén bù fāsòng xiāoxi_

The sixteen-year-old walked away from the racket, wandering the rooftops some more, the voice then became faded, thankfully. Xiba had to admit though; her voice had saved him from a nightmare. But was the vision in his head influenced by her last-minute interruption of his sleep? That didn't matter anymore. He fiddled with the bracelets around his wrists as he did so, they were an ugly turquoise color; or at least to the boy who wasn't fond of the color in the first place. He felt naked without his father's pendant… Josef offered him a new necklace that only had one, crescent-moon shaped emblem attached to it. Xiba accepted it _graciously. _He had no choice but to accept it _graciously_.

As he was tempted to hurl one of the beaded bracelets across the border, he saw something familiar, the well. He'd been there just a few weeks ago when he first confronted Leixia's noisy song. What was it even for? If Leixia stuck her head down there to hear her voice, obviously it was a deep well. Curious and bored, the red-haired boy stepped closer and held the edge of the round opening, gazing in. It was pitch black… it was as though if one were to fall to the bottom, they could see a river of stars in the middle of the day. Was there any water? Xiba began to focus on how dark it was down there… as if something demonic could climb out of there at any moment. With said thoughts in mind, he felt a hand tap his shoulder.

"Agh!"

"Oh! Jesus…" The pretty Lea clapped her hand over her heart, jumping back a bit. Nowhere near as caught off guard as Xiba. They caught their breaths.

"Why are you sneaking up on me like that?" he let go of the demon well and covered his fear with anger.

"I didn't mean to." The apologetic woman murmured, "I saw you walking around this morning when Wanda was looking for you and uh…" she scratched her cheek, nervous. Xiba winced as though she were a stalker. Lea wasn't sure herself why she wanted to accompany her—attractive—new servant.

"You…?" Xiba tried to help her out.

"I… don't really know…" she blushed. She looked into his copper eyes; they shone in the summer sun and complimented his red, spiky hair. He could just as easily say the same for her deep ocean blue eyes. He found himself starting to blush and turned away.

"Uh…" they were both good at stammering at least.

"I guess I felt bad that you were alone." Lea fiddled with her hair, wrapped up in a neat bun. Confused, Xiba turned back.

"Don't worry about _that_, I like being alone. I was just trying to see if I could sneak a few extra minutes of sleep in." he smirked, Lea blushed and grinned, it was the first time they'd seen each other smile—genuinely, "I guess I'm in for it when she finally catches me."

"Heh," the two began to walk side by side, forgetting that they were now in the open, "It's not her fault; Wanda probably got it from our master… she is his daughter after all." Lea had forced herself to find a logical explanation; she wanted desperately to believe humans were good at heart and that other sources changed them.

"Well no one's a clone of someone else; people can change and be independent." Xiba grumbled. He'd learned this on his own, Lea admired the way he talked… it was different, but the lack of response made the boy fear he'd offended her, "In my opinion I mean."

"Oh, um, yes. Of course." She giggled. He was much sweeter than she'd anticipated from the young man; whom she'd deemed aloof and bitter all this time. His eyes were much more gentle, less intimidating to look at. Xiba lost his grin for a moment.

"Where are they from? Josef and Wanda?"

"Somewhere in Central Europe uh-I think. As for how long they've been here, Wanda's been here since she was young. The three of us were adopted as children." They walked down the steps and back to ground level, "We're orphans, you see. And Natsu was traded by her father from Japan; he couldn't afford to take care of her." Xiba always knew he was lucky to have Kilik… but he was then reminded how privileged he was as a child.

"Hm." Xiba was thinking to himself, they were all orphans… so they had never seen what was past the front gates? No… they certainly have! Or at least have an idea. Natsu had to have been taught about her homeland… right?

"There you are!" Wanda howled, suddenly appearing like a ghost and grabbing Xiba's hair, "Stupid!" Lea was surprised and quickly held her hands together in nervousness. Because of how shocked he was by the sudden stinging, the young man cringed in pain.

"Wanda—don't be so rough!"

"Oh shut-up, _princess_." She shoved Xiba, causing him to stumble, "Now come on! I've got something special for you to do since you think you're clever!" Growling lowly, Xiba let her walk ahead so he could follow in the general direction she was headed… if he were directly behind her, he would lose his temper. Changing his expression slightly, softening it up, he looked back at Lea, keeping his agitated mood. He could see Lea's concern, but he nodded, reassuring her he'd be fine.

"Hey! I'm not going to tell you again!" the woman roared.

**Souls_&_Swords: Chinese (Mandarin) Glossary:**

_Tàn wéi yīgè měilì de nǚrén _- Sigh for the beautiful woman

_Xià yīgè dǎoméi de héngxīng dànshēng_ - Born under an unlucky star

_Tā wánměi de àiqíng pǐpèi_ - Her perfect love match

_Dà yī hé xiàng dōng liú_ - Are the rivers flowing east

_Yīgè wúqíng de qíngrén bù fāsòng xiāoxi _- A heartless lover sends no news


	5. He's Afraid Of You

The sky was a rich burgundy and the crickets were soundless and still as the setting sun. The past few days hadn't been so bad to work in; summer was reaching its end, August had peaked over the corner and autumn awaited the Shenzhou; the men working outside making tools or helping the women in the rice fields would no longer need their large, coned hats for shade as they would soon praise the wind blowing across the skies. Especially those living in the regions of mountains and rivers… this wasn't so for the untied family at the lavish compound house. They only got a partial view of the red sunset, just as the sky was growing dark. However, lack of outdoor candle lighting of other villages made it easier to see the stars—that's if the women did not hang up the lanterns at night, which was very rare.

At lease Josef granted himself permission to leave every once in a while; the others, even Wanda could only dream of the endless beauties of The Middle Kingdom. Sunset was Xiba's call to make dinner for the family, he prepared something simple for the five—Eggdrop Soup. As he gingerly passed them around Leixia dipped her spoon in and out, "I _love _the way the soup looks when you put your spoon into it!" she the back of Xiba's long jacket, "Look!" it appeared as though the soup were devouring the spoon—it was much thicker than other soups, giving it a denser appearance than the other, liquidy soups. Lea couldn't help but snort as she blew into her spoon.

"Yes Leixia," Xiba urged the girl to let go, "I've been eating this since I was a kid."

"Did you make the dim-sum?" the timid blonde asked, folding her hands. Xiba had nearly forgotten about them cooling down in the back.

"Yeah, I was letting them cool down."

Josef raised a brow, "Well, bring them out while they're warm, it's Natsu's birthday today!" Xiba's eyes widened, stunned that the hateful man would care about such an event.

"Oh?"

Leixia swallowed the thick, flavorful soup, "Shēngrì Kuàilè!" she raised her spoon, causing the girl to blush with humility. Lea kept track of the dates, it was August third, "How old are you again sis?" Leixia bubbled.

"I'm seventeen today." She mumbled; Wanda nearly swallowed her own spoon.

"What? I thought you were already seventeen!" as did Xiba, but no matter, she was older than him by a year.

"Well whenever I get close to my birthday, I just go ahead and start referring to my new age." Natsu admitted. Xiba didn't have much to say, nor did he care to make a big deal of her ageing—it was clear that Natsu didn't like being the center of attention in the first place. He stepped into the back to grab the tray of dim-sum.

"You know Xiba, Leixia's birthday had just passed when you arrived." Josef exclaimed, watching his pet grab the fluffy doughy treats with chopsticks and hand them out.

"Oh, you turned fifteen _this _year, huh?" she really _was _the baby! But age didn't necessarily explain her sprightly behavior.

"Mhm!" she blushed with a sanguine expression. He made it to Natsu, gently allowing her to take the food with her hands.

"Here—Shēngrì Kuàilè." He murmured.

"Xièxiè." It was odd for the young woman to be speaking Mandarin when she _should _be in her homeland speaking her native language… she knew little to no Japanese—Josef had never taught her what her native people spoke, but she assumed it was best that she spoke the language people around her spoke. But she longed to one day hop on a ship and sail to Japan; to find her father and perhaps her mother—whatever happened to her.

"Here Lea." The young man finally finished circling the table for the fifth time that afternoon, dizzy.

"Thank you." She smiled; why did her grin have to be so damn beautiful? He hid a blush as he held the tray over his chest and went to put it away. As he exited the room he made yet another note of how Josef _still _had his pendant… how he _still _had to taunt him with his possession of it. Sneering at him, Xiba left the 'festivity', not in the mood to be around anything 'happy'… if anything were happy at the Borkowski home to begin with.

"Alright, let's humble her, shall we?" Josef mocked, holding up his cup full of hot tea, "Natsu, the eldest of you three, is seventeen today!" the two remaining sisters held up their cups and then sipped from them. As they were slurping they didn't watch as Josef smirked then gently brushed her bangs across her cheek. Repulsed, Natsu stood up and walked out of the dining area.

"Natsu-?" Lea worried, she tried to grab her arm, but she smacked her hand away. The ripped young man meanwhile found himself wandering the rooftops again, only this time, instead of studying the demon-infested well, he stared off longingly into the mountains… one of them had to lead to the Zhen Hang Mountains—what was happening to his father? Was he suffering? Did he know where he had even gone? Xiba truly wished he had the eyes of a hawk so he could watch over his father every moment and comfort him—that would be the eyes of his guardian spirit, his angel. But Kilik had reminded Xiba so many times that they both already had a guardian angel, his mother. He heard footsteps from down below and tilted his head to see the blonde birthday girl slump down against a wall and support her cheeks with her hands. Did she like being alone too? He wasn't going to bother with wishing her a splendid evening, as he wouldn't wish for others what he couldn't have himself—selfish, but he felt he _had _to be in this lifestyle. What he couldn't see was her face going red and crunching up, but he did observe as she held her hands over her mouth and nose and begin to moan.

Natsu then began sobbing, loud enough for Xiba to hear, quiet enough so no one would confront her. If she wasn't oblivious that he was up there, she would've hid somewhere else. She didn't even consider her room; everyone would try to find her there. With worried eyes, the sixteen year old servant began to debate on comforting her or not. But he only watched, watched the wind blow her short hair into the breeze, revealing a troubled, helpless face. What good could he do anyway? He only observed with sympathy… but this was heart-wrenching. That she was alone with no one to protect her when he could very well step down and give her somebody to talk to. Why he wouldn't do it he wasn't sure, but when the emotions became too much for him to handle, Xiba walked away and towards his room.

X-x-X

His hair had never felt so soft before in his life; Xiba had finally found where the shampoo and hair softener was kept and dear lord had his hair been needing more than a good soaking for a while. Still spiky and messy; but clean at least, along with the rest of his body. That tiny little thing alone brightened Xiba's day a bit. The long, hot day of work he was going to have. He was alone in the washroom finishing soaking his body with the cold water. He'd finally managed a mental clock in his head in which he had time to sleep a decent duration, exercise in the morning to keep his health up, and then bathe before his actual day started.

"Alright Wanda, I'm going out to take care of some trading deals—you're in charge." The older man was gathering some belongings in a bag; his witch daughter watched and was applying her overly-course mascara. She saw in the mirror that thing still dangling around his neck.

"Father, why do you wear that chink's old junk?" she moved onto the other eye, widening it so it didn't seem too small anymore.

"To remind him who's the boss; I can take much more away from him than just a filthy necklace."

Wanda scoffed and moved onto her staining her lips, "Can't you just burn it like you did with the girl's-"

"_Kochanie_, speaking of which, make sure Natsu isn't sulking in her bedroom today—she wouldn't let me in last night and I nearly had to spend the night alone." Wanda sighed; she hated it when her father disregarded everything she said.

"Okay." The woman sighed. Not another word was said between the two, and he exited the gates unnoticed; he did the honors of locking them from the outside so none of the _chinks_ got any ideas. Meanwhile, Wanda stomped to the first bedroom and popped the doors open, "Wake up birthday girl!" she demanded, bitter. Natsu had her face down on the pillow.

"What do you want?" her tone was muffled, thankfully since she was still so agitated by her new fate.

"What's with dad telling me that you wouldn't let him in your room last night?" sitting up, the Japanese girl stared her foe in the eye.

"As my birthday gift to me, I granted myself some privacy."

"Ha!" she put her hands on her hips, "Privacy doesn't exist for you chinks around here!"

"_Japanese…_" she hissed under her breath, but Wanda raised a bemused brow, her anger was then ineffable.

"What was that?"

"I'm. JAP-A-NESE!" she moved her hands to emphasize every syllable. Even though she'd spent a life-time in The Middle Kingdom, Natsu's home and pride was in The Land of the Rising Sun. She wasn't afraid anymore, what good would that do? Natsu knew her morality was already increased due to the treatment of her masters. Wanda took only four stomps forward and smacked her clean cross the face. Don't cringe she told herself; don't cringe, don't wince, don't make any faces! Don't even put your hand over it to ease the stinging!

"You're whatever the hell I call you, you worthless bucket of bile! If you start biting at me more and more, I'll make sure father takes care of you… got it?!" Natsu stared with her emerald eyes. They nearly turned red from the flames and tears she was holding back. Her face grew red; either from the smack or her anger. A bilious silence crossed its path between the two young women. The ogre then stormed out, leaving Natsu to clench her pillow over her breasts and squeeze it against her body for comfort. She bit into it—even the softest surface grinded her teeth to keep her from screaming. Maybe she could grind her teeth into canine teeth so she could literally rip Wanda's heart out—or the cold stone that sat where her heart should be.

Xiba had been called into the lounging area—an area private to Wanda and Josef for reading or tea drinking or chatting. He was more easy-going than the day before, since he wasn't forced to do laundry in the boiling sun. The young man unwittingly was passing Leixia, who was folding her clothes outside since she was feeling cooped up in her room, "Good morning Xiba!" she delighted.

"Hey." He replied unenthusiastically, entering the lounge room where Wanda sat on the floor. She was preparing a table for herself Japanese style. An open book sat next to her—in fact, there were tons of books along the shelves and stacked on the small round table. Xiba admired it for a moment before Wanda's voice snapped him back into reality.

"Hey chink." She began lowly, "There's water over a fire on the counter," she pointed out; indeed a canister of water was over a small flame, "When it starts boiling pour the tea leaves into it." Was she really that lazy? And what the hell was she even doing?

"Oh… kay?" he raised his voice with confusion, hobbling over to watch the water until it began to bubble up. Nothing like so was happening yet; he imagined that he could set it under the sun for ten seconds and it would be ready to go, evaporated even!"

"That blonde wench keeps giving dad a hard time! I'm trying to see that maybe if we do things 'her way' maybe she'll lighten the fuck up." That explained the book she had out, and why she had such an unusual set-up. She followed what the book said and placed the napkins and plates where they should be.

"Not much is required to get on one's good side…" Xiba interjected, noticing small bubbles approaching the surface, "All you need to do is say one goddamn nice thing to them."

"Watch your mouth chink!" she'd given another hollow threat, Xiba now understood how this game worked; only when her father was around could a punishment be given. Other than that, she was just all talk. The young man shrugged it off and could barely stay awake to watch this boring kettle of water, "It's your kind that makes life harder for us!"

…

The red-haired slave raised a brow and stood erect, "What do you mean 'our kind'?"

"Humph," she crossed her arms, "If you must know; my father and I are from the Jagiellonian Empire; he was the Grand Duke's nephew. When he was growing up, he realized that there were too many educated people in Poland that always challenged his theories and ideas… too many intellects that would argue back." Xiba was actually intrigued; not for the sake of knowing Wanda and Josef's family history but as to what had given them their poor attitudes. The water was beginning to steam up and bubble wildly, "With that case, my father brought me here when I was born, so that when I return to Poland, I'll be a witness to the theory that people cannot challenge his intellect across the lands." Xiba nearly forgot about the water and grabbed it off the fire, the bubbles still had to simmer down before he could pour it into the cup, "So of course it's your people, my unfortunate sisters, whom are incapable of such."

Xiba grabbed cup from behind her and waited to fill it, he had but a simple question, "So what you're saying is… all Asians are dumb." She scratched at her pixie hair.

"Well of course! Chinks in particular."

Xiba said nothing; he narrowed his eyes and scowled his face.

…

"BWAAAAAAUGH!"

Leixia dashed in from across the lot, shocked to find what she did, "IT BURNS! YOU ANIMAL! IT BURNS!" Xiba was standing over her with a tilted and empty tea kettle. The floor was soaked and so was Wanda, her skin was red and steaming, she was panicked and in a frenzy, fidgeting in every direction, "AAAUUGH! IT BURNS!" Leixia knew what had happened; she gazed at the infuriated boy with awe… or fright… both maybe! Jaw was dropped, but for once, the young lady was speechless. Lea and Natsu arrived; Lea had her hair in a long, single braid, her bangs still framed her face. Xiba had no remorse, but his expression softened when he saw how dumbfounded Leixia was. All three of them were… unsure of how he _should _feel, he lowered the kettle and dropped it, ventilating from his anger. He grew more and more worried the longer it took for one of them to react.

"HOLY SHIT WOULD ONE OF YOU DO SOMETHING?!" Natsu rushed to the monster and escorted her outside quickly.

"Come on, let's go!" she headed for the washroom. Lea could at least move; she'd turned to look at them as they left, Leixia was still paralyzed, "Can one of you come and help me?!" she called from across the lot. Finally shuddering—the youngest of them darted away and out of sight.

…

Silence… nothing but Lea, Xiba, and a soaked, steaming floor of hatred. She held her hand over her heart, quite shocked and stunned. Knowing what he should do next, Xiba found a towel under the counter—which was kept there for spills… but perhaps not ones like this—he began to dry up the floors, as if he was swiping away evidence. His anger decreased the strength in his muscles… he worked slowly and bitterly.

"Kee-kee…" he heard. When he looked up, Lea was snickering; her face was flushed from trying not to. But he was _not _in the mood.

"What's so funny?" he growled.

"I've wanted to throw hot water over that bitch for years! Maybe even lava!" the young woman stepped over and got to her knees, she went to place a hand on the towel but Xiba snatched it away.

"I can do it." It was more of a demand than an assurance. Recoiling in regret, the elegant teenager then obtained a saddened expression. She looked away.

"… You know, there's so many things this family's done to us other than just call us names and boss us around." She scanned the handsome boy with her blue eyes, "I know Master Josef took your necklace away." Xiba froze—he didn't look at her, but he froze. Was she really _that _observant? "He took our dignity and our confidence away from the three of us…" Lea rarely told this tale, but when she'd overheard Josef discussing this with a visiting relative—whom he'd made the three Asians the play monkeys in front of—she would never forget, "He took away Leixia from her mother… that's how she knows she's an opera singer—I told her the basis of what I heard, not everything…" Lea was sneakier than she seemed, but she'd heard something _more _interesting recently, "He's afraid of you, Xiba. You frighten him."

"What?" he winced.

"He says you're smart; he fears that your education might challenge his own… that you're a threat to his intellect, whatever that means." She shrugged. Did she know what that meant? Other than what 'being afraid' meant?

"So… he's afraid that because I'm smart, I can figure out how to get out of here?" he turned his body towards her, getting her to look him in the eyes.

"I think so… I'm not too sure." Everything Lea described was very vague, as if she hadn't a clue what she was saying. That's when it finally hit Xiba.

"I remember Wanda said that Natsu couldn't read or write… but you're literate, aren't you?"

"… Huh?" Lea blushed and raised a brow, she hated seeming dumb. But she wasn't, she just lacked the opportunity he'd had; apparently all three of them did. He knew there had to be cheating in Josef's 'theory'.

"Lea, I can teach you three how to read and write!" he smiled, "I can show you that this doesn't have to be the way to live!" Xiba was growing optimistic, but Lea only cringed with worry more and more.

"Xiba, what else is there other than the life we have now?"

"So much more!" he announced, "If I can just teach you girls to read and maybe tell some stories about the world, then Josef will maybe let us go!"

"Xiba, you're kind, but no." she stood up, surprising the young man, now baffled, "It's too risky… we don't know what's out there." But that's the point, Xiba thought, "I'm worried that if we became smart, Josef would just force us to deny the information… not fear us like he does you."

"Why? What's the difference between me and you girls?" He stood up, commensurate with her. Lea fiddled with her braid.

"You have courage…"

No more words were exchanged as the young lady left the servant to the hot, damp floor.


End file.
